Grove City, OH — A pair of tightly contested finishes highlighted the four $75,000 divisions of the 2025 Buckeye Stallion Series Finals for pacers on Saturday (Oct. 4) at MGM Northfield Park.
Our Honor Defend (Case Bateson) rallied from sixth place at the three-quarter pole to win the sophomore filly pace championship by a nose as the top five finishers all finished within two-fifths of a second of each other. A 24-1 longshot, Our Honor Defend finished 10th in the BSS standings this year but qualified for Saturday’s race courtesy of second-place Bubblles Out and seventh-place Guard The Fire not being in the field. Survivin Fire (Dan Noble), the 8-5 betting favorite, took the lead off the gate and was in front at the first three calls in :27.2, :56.4, and 1:24.2. Our Honor Defend was four lengths back of the lead at the three-quarter mark before making a late charge. Making it four wide heading toward the finish line, she edged Anna Loves Bananas (Aaron Merriman) by a nose to win with Survivin Fire in third as all three horses tripped the wire in 1:54.2. Our Honor Defend is a Lost In Time filly trained by Scott Betts, who co-owns the horse with Keith Gisser and Kerry McCullough. She has hit the board in 16 of 33 career starts with five wins and $86,728 in earnings.
In another close finish, Unique Catch (Merriman) won the sophomore colt pace championship by a neck over Fly High Cruiser (Noble). Coming off a win in the fifth leg of the BSS to secure eighth place in the standings, Unique Catch was in seventh place at the quarter pole and sixth at the halfway mark before rallying for the victory. Johnny Up (Kurt Sugg) led at the first three calls in :27.1, :56.2, and 1:24.3. Unique Catch made it three wide going into the final turn en route to surpassing Johnny Up down the final stretch while Fly High Cruiser came up from fifth place to challenge. Unique Catch edged Fly High Cruiser at the line as both horses finished in 1:53.4. Woodrow Blue Chip (Justin Irvine) was third. Unique Catch is trained by Daren Harvey, who co-owns the horse with Wayne Mast Jr., Eden Acres Farmstead, and Steven Miller. The Catch The Fire gelding five wins in 15 seasonal starts. He has hit the board in 21 of 27 lifetime starts with 14 wins and $148,155 in earnings.
In the freshman filly pace division, Jamie Amanda (Luke Hanners) rallied from fourth place at the three-quarter pole to win the championship in a lifetime-best 1:54.4. Queen Valerie (Chris Page), the 5-2 betting favorite, went off stride off the gate, and Mingle In Dingle (Cameron McCown) went to the lead. Mingle In Dingle led at each of the first three calls in fractions of :28, :56.4, and 1:25.1. Jamie Amanda moved second over going to the three-quarter pole and was three wide going to the final turn. Still on the outside, Jamie Amanda surged to the lead down the final stretch and won by one and three-quarter lengths. Standerosa (Merriman) was second followed by Mingle In Dingle in third. Jamie Amanda is trained by Virgil Morgan Jr., who co-owns the horse with Let It Ride Stables and Odds On Racing. A winner in two legs of the BSS in 2025, she has four wins and one second in seven seasonal starts with $68,500 in earnings.
Heerz Corinthian (McCown), a winner in two of the five legs of the BSS this season who entered Saturday sixth in the standings, won the freshman colt pace championship. The Downbytheseaside gelding was in sixth place as The Ebony Dragon (Hanners) led the field past the quarter pole in :26.4. The Jessica McCown trainee proceeded to move first over and was third at the half with The Ebony Dragon still in front in :56.4. Heerz Corinthian took the lead going to the three-quarter pole in 1:25.1 en route to winning by two and a quarter lengths over Wagon Day (Kayne Kauffman) in 1:55.4. Hunka Hunka (Sugg), who posted wins in four of the five legs of the BSS this year and was the leader in the standings, finished third. Owned by Heerzthestock Inc., Tripoli Stable, and Susan Sullivan, Heerz Corinthian has hit the board in six of nine seasonal starts with five wins and $92,089 in earnings.
The 2025 Buckeye Stallion Series concludes with eight $25,000 divisions of Consolations on Sunday (Oct. 5) at MGM Northfield Park. First-race post time is 6 p.m.